Midnight Movie
Peace however it arrives
“We’re all just one small adjustment away from making our lives work.” ~ Paul Rudd in How Do You Know. He was referencing the origin story behind Play-Doh.
My mind was too full last night, and, though I’m on a bit of a self-imposed media fast, I opened Netflix & scrolled till I saw a movie with Reese Witherspoon, Owen Wilson, Paul Rudd, & even Jack Nicholson. I was a bit taken aback that I’d never heard of it, but then I saw it was released in 2010. In 2010, my life was uprooted for the second time in three years, so it made sense I’d missed it entirely.
Two of the main characters are experiencing unexpected, unfair, catastrophic upheavals in their careers, &, subsequently, their identities. I related to both in different ways, & I felt the acting for Rudd & Witherspoon was exceptional. I usually have a caveat in my alignment with a story, but that isn’t the case for this one.
Watch it if you have two hours you’re supposed to be asleep and can’t. It kinda inadvertently fed my ongoing existential crisis, in an antidotal way. When the scene that includes the Play-Doh line appeared, my brain sighed. I’m used to my soul sighing. My brain unsatisfied I’m comfortably uncomfortable with because it is what drives me. But this momentary relief meant peace, even if just for the night.
Play-Doh was a cleaning agent for wallpaper. When heating homes changed to a cleaner source, its use declined rapidly. Changing the purpose of Play-Doh saved the company. Inspirational on its own, the story is markedly pleasing. Worded as Rudd conveyed, Play-Doh becomes a conduit of hope.
“We’re all just one small adjustment away from making our lives work.”
Nothing poignant or philosophical today. Just sharing. 🙂